Challenging Conditions

The weekend rain has made for a challenging week.  .82" of rain made the golf course pretty wet

Photo of #9 fwy from Monday.  Lots of standing water through the course.
On a good note, all the drainage we've added is showing great positives.

limiting our ability to tackle different tasks.  We stay extra cautious at this time of year as damage can be created easily by equipment.  Throughout the week all staff has been walking to do certain jobs; even the last few days to mow greens and approaches.  Never easy walking a greens mowing with backpack blower strapped to you as well as carrying a dew whip, but a the end of the day it needs to get done and our great staff is willing to do it.

Flagstone area filled with gravel, waiting on sand then flagstone.

Briarwood Grounds Crew installing flagstone in the expansion area.
This is all a completely new process for us.  Once all stone laid, cracks
will be filled with soil and fescue seed.  With grass throughout the cracks
it will help brace the stones but also soften up the hardscape.  We anticipate
to be finished by the weekend.  We will cover area to promote faster grass
germination and coverage.

Staff has been working hard on bunkers throughout the week.  All
front 9 bunkers have had debris blown out, silt scraped up, and edge
reclaimed.  Course has been too wet to get the mechanical rake out.
Our hope now is the rain forecasted doesn't put us back at square 1.

Even though it's been overly wet we have made great progress.  Bunker rehabilitation has been a big focus of our along with the flagstone by the putting green.  We've made great strides the last 3 days.  Weather looks to again create complication over the next few days; estimating 1"+ of rain through Friday.  Would be nice to string together 5-7 days without rain.  But again, it is Chicago and it is soon to be April.  Looking at the forecast we don't anticipate opening the golf course for the weekend.  Soon though!  Practice facilities will remain open with the putting green opening here soon, possibly for the weekend.